Village split on polls
KIRRA – Residents of the central Greek town of Kirra had correctly predicted the result of the last parliamentary vote. Now they say the town is split down the middle ahead of the country’s Sunday elections. Vangelis Bakou, the town’s only newsstand owner, says that judging by the political color of the papers people buy, the score is even and no party will win an easy parliamentary majority, opening the way for either coalitions or new elections. «It might have been the influence of the Oracle of Delphi,» joked town councilor Eleni Tsonou, referring to 2004 when Kirra’s voters predicted the conservatives would sweep to power, ending 11 years of Socialist rule. The 900 voters in Kirra, nestled in the green valley below Ancient Delphi, matched the national ballot result almost exactly. «But this time around it will be a tough battle, people are divided down the middle,» Tsonou said. Opinion polls published before a September 1 blackout, showed the ruling New Democracy slightly leading the socialist opposition PASOK but both losing support to smaller parties. New Democracy has ruled out cooperating with the far-right LAOS party, led by Giorgos Karatzaferis, which is set to enter Parliament for the first time and even end up a powerbroker. «I never used to sell the Karatzaferis paper but now suddenly there are several people buying it,» Bakou, 49, said. Like in most of the Greek countryside, concerns are for jobs to keep the young from fleeing to the cities, declining EU farm subsidies and the quality of life – better roads and utilities. Although the recent fatal forest fires did not directly affect Kirra, they are a hot topic in the town, with some blaming the government for incompetence and others saying it handled well an unprecedented natural disaster. Sitting at a coffee shop favored by PASOK supporters, two elderly men discussed the fires and financial scandals. They lamented the declining subsidies for olive oil, the area’s main product. «People can’t live off the olives, they have to have other jobs to survive. This government has made a huge mess,» said retired sailor Christos Labropoulos, 71. His friend, retired construction worker Elias Glavanos, 62, agreed: «My children live in Athens and in America – there are no jobs here.» Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has been praised by Brussels for cutting deficits and turning the economy around but benefits have been slow to trickle down to the poor. He has asked for a strong new mandate to push on with the reforms Greece needs to catch up with its eurozone partners but admitted some of his pre-election pledges had not been met. Many in Kirra are prepared to give him another chance. «The others were in power for 20 years. What did they do?» Tsonou said, referring to the Socialists who favor a pro-business model coupled with social protection. «I’ll give Karamanlis another chance to finish his work. If he doesn’t do it this time, then we’ll vote for someone else,» he added. Opinion polls show the vote will most likely be decided at the last minute – more than 10 percent of those asked were undecided a few weeks before the election.
